What a TRIP!!  EPIC!!  I was searching for a low elevation snow free trip with some miles on it to kick off to Spring Break.  Circumnavigating Baker Lake sounded like fun as I'd never done it before!  I parked at Baker Lake-Maple Grove TH at the South end of the lake.  The road had a few good potholes, but nothing that caused any problems.  I think pretty much any car could drive it with a bit of caution.  

I was walking by 9am and soon settled into the 7.3 miles of paved road walk in front of me.  Walking across the dam was cool and soon I’d made the right on the main Baker Lake Rd.  There were a couple areas of skinny shoulders but overall super chill and Sat had perfectly sunny weather that wasn’t too hot.  The bridge over Boulder Creek was beautiful with a view straight up to Mt. Baker! 

By the time I took the left onto NF-1130, I was very grateful to be walking off the paved road!  Dirt is so much gentler on the joints!  Plus, the sound of dirt and gravel underfoot finally made my hike feel real instead of awkwardly walking a busy paved road with a full pack on lol.  The 4.5 miles under the trees went by quite pleasantly until I was on the road directly above the hot springs when I heard below me some impressively LOUD rocken music playing!  What I anticipated as a relaxing quiet time at the Baker Hot springs turned into exciting entertainment of a full-blown collage hippy party!  The Baker Hot Springs parking lot (a large cul-da-sac sized round area) was packed to overflowing with vehicles, tents, and enthusiasm!  It was a blast, and I was impressed by how even in the midst of their cavorting, the “kids” took time to be polite and even clean up their trash afterward!  Good Times.  That night we all soaked, floated around amid the glowsticks and laughter, and watched the bats flying overhead : ) 

My friend met me at the Hot Springs and we had a great fun evening and even got some sleep in our tents-thank goodness for earplugs!  There aren’t really any good tent spots at the hot spring itself, but I found a small nook to set up in.  There is one nice flat spot about 0.1 miles back towards the parking lot where my friend set up.  SAT: 12miles

Sunday am was a bit drizzly/foggy and we continued our way past the Swift Creek Trailhead and on down the old road past Park Creek Campground.  That trail was a tad brushy with limited use, but no problems.  The water crossing of Morovitz Creek was easy enough, but we did switch to water shoes as we didn’t see an easy log or anything.  Water was only ~6” deep.  Gaia says 3.2miles of this trail down to the main road, but the map said only 2.6. . . .hmm. . . .??  We hung a Left on Baker Lake Rd and it was back to road walking.  Thankfully this time is was all gravel once we crossed the Swift Creek bridge : )

5.8miles on the Baker Lake Road got us to the Baker River Trailhead and back onto an actual trail again, yay!  By now the drizzle had settled into a solid rain, so I cracked out my umbrella and rain pants.  Seriously though!  If there isn’t much wind, an umbrella makes ALL the difference when hiking in the rain!  So beautiful!  The suspension bridge over Baker River was SO amazing!  The river was Thundering underneath us and that combined with the slight shifting of that long bridge was very cool!  BTW “Hidden” Creek is very much visible ; )  About 1 mile before the Noisy Creek Campsites, there is a massive tree down across the trail with about a 4ft diameter trunk! This required some careful climbing up and around.  A bit of a time delay, but nothing more.  The rain was picking up in to a solid down pour by the time we arrived at camp, and we were both very happy to set up and get into out snuggly tents and sleeping bags!  There are a couple Very nice camp sites right by the lake shore with beautiful views even in the rain!  Sun: 13miles

Monday morning showed the effects of a full night of “heavy” (according to our InReach weather report) rain.  My poor friend’s tent ended up in a legit puddle and there were little eroded mini streams all through camp!  Thank goodness for seam taped bathtub tent floors!  We both woke up warm and dry!  The temperature had dropped a bit and our pack up was a bit chilly.  Wrestling a sopping wet tent into its stuff sack is no joke!  The trail was basically a stream in many places and there were countless little to medium water crossings everywhere along the trail.  I was beyond grateful for waterproof boots and rain pants and so stayed surprisingly dry and comfortable under my umbrella. 

All this excessive rain was making me wonder a LOT about the condition of Anderson Creek.  If we couldn’t find a way to ford or get a cross somehow, it would necessitate another day on trail, 12.8miles of backtracking, and hitching a ride back to our cars!! The 5.5miles or so to Maple Gove was a shiny, shimmery tunnel of green path with misty views out over Baker Lake.  I very happy utilized the fancy conveyor belt toilet and respite from the rain and then continued on the Anderson Point. 

My heart sank as I rounded the corner, and my ears were filled with the roar of Anderson Creek.  Whoever named this beast a mere creek must have named in late August or something.  Anderson was rip-roaring down its course with all this rain, obviously over its banks on both sides, and even after some diligent exploration up and down its banks, we decided that fording would be down right deadly with white water rapids more than waist deep in places!  Ugh! 

BUT BUT!  There was a log.  A very high and sopping wet log.  We jumped on it and even though it was full on dumping rain on us, the log seemed very secure and not slippery at all.   We were in no rush.  We prepared with ourselves with plenty of snacks, calm minds, and one at a time, butt scooted one scooch at a time all the way over Anderson Creek!  There was one spot where we had to transition from one log to another and another spot where we had to get over a second smaller tree truck, but we were intentionally not hasty, ensured that each handhold and movement was secure and make it over!  Thank goodness!  Success!  Sketchy? A bit, but totally doable with patience and time.  Neither of us have problems with vertigo or heights or anything, but having all that rushing water pounding away underneath while in the middle of the span was very much an “exciting” experience! 

The final 1.3miles to car was jubilant celebration!   So thankful for safety and the joys of nature’s challenges and rewards.  Mon: 9miles

Total Circumnavigation of Baker Lake including Baker Hot Springs per Gaia:  34miles

There were no other cars at the trailhead when we arrived. The outhouse was open, clean and well stocked with toilet paper. We spent a rainy night at the Noisy Creek campground. The trail was mostly free of puddles. The large tree mentioned in a prior trip report was challenging to cross, especially as some of the bark that could be used as steps or handholds is getting soft. In addition, the surrounding trail is covered with a lot of debris. There were a handful of other downed trees, but they were comparably easy to navigate over or around. On our way out there was a new tree down across the unpaved section of the road, but we were able to navigate around it with a little shoulder driving.

Hiked in to Noisy Creek for a one-nighter on Saturday and hiked out the next morning. Steady rain on the way, with a reprieve for breakfast Sunday morning, and then soaking rain on the way out. No snow anywhere along the hike, but visible on the peaks of this hills above. Pretty flat trail with relatively little ups and downs. There's a big down tree in the last mile of the hike in - best to go up (left) and over than down and under, as you have to get up a steep hill from the down route to rejoin the trail. Creek crossings were easy and the trail was very easy to follow. Baker lake was pretty with its little low hanging clouds snaking slowly by. Say herons and bald eagle and was greeted by very vocal Varied Thrushes in the morning. Sighted a marmot on the way out. Off without a hitch and gloriously wet as advertised!

We began our hike at the Baker River TH at the end of the Baker Lake Road. The short unpaved section of the road is in fairly good condition with a few potholes which can easily be avoided. There were no other vehicles when we arrived at the TH. The outhouse had no TP and hadn't been cleaned recently, but the facility was usable and the cold temperature kept any odor away! The Baker River Trail and Baker Lake Trail share the first 1/2 mile. We were last here in 2018 and there has been a reroute above a washout of the old trail as you near the bridge over the Baker River. We crossed the bridge to continue our meander on the Baker Lake Trail. The beautiful old growth firs, western red cedars, and maples covered with mosses, ferns and lichens and the moss covered boulders, stumps and nurse logs add to the beauty of the area. Today in areas where the sun didn't reach the beauty was enhanced by the heavy frost. As we have seen in the past many bird's nest fungi can be seen and these are a favorite find for us!  The first were seen on the edge of the wood deck planks of the bridge which crosses Blum Creek. Shortly after crossing Blum Creek we found a piece of wood with over 50 on it! We had lunch on a log in the sun and warmed by hot coffee and tea.

Large tree completely blocking trail 3.4 miles from the north trail head. Otherwise, the trail was in good condition. Some slippery frost near the Baker River but cleared up once we got near the lake.